‘Killings of mayor, son plain murder’

DAVAO CITY – The Human Rights Watch (HRW), an international non-government organization involved in human rights advocacies on Tuesday described the execution of a town mayor and son as plain murder and a violation of the provisions of international humanitarian law.

“The communist New People’s Army (NPA) in the Philippines executed the mayor of a small town and his son on October 19, 2015, in violation of international humanitarian law,” HRW said.

The group also criticized the NPAs for committing such violations “throughout its four-decade insurgency” that “has frequently executed people found guilty by its so-called people’s courts, which do not meet basic fair trial standards.”

The NPA in Southern Mindanao in a statement on January 25 owned the abduction and killings of Mayor Dario Otaza and his son Daryl from their residence in Butuan City.